179 charged for unauthorized exports of greyhounds

Thursday 9th of June 2016

Greyhound Racing NSW (GRNSW) has charged 179 greyhound trainers and owners for breaching rules related to the alleged unauthorized exports of dogs to Macau.

The charges follow an investigation from ABC’s 7.30 report in December last year, which alleged that hundreds of greyhounds deemed to slow too compete were being imported into Macau where they are regularly euthanized.

The investigation found that Australian dogs were racing “around the clock” at the Macau Canidrome and regularly sustaining injuries, with a disturbing 100 per cent euthanasia rate.

In a covertly recorded interview with Animals Australia investigators, Canidrome chief vet, Dr Wu Sung Hu detailed how the dogs are sourced from Australian brokers.

"We have four suppliers from Australia and we buy the dogs from them monthly," Dr Wu told the ABC investigators, who were posing as prospective suppliers to the track.

"In Australia [if your dogs] don't run quick enough and you can't keep feed[ing] them, so you sell those dogs through those brokers. They buy those dogs and sell [them] to Macau."

While the export of greyhounds is not illegal, exporting without the required passport is against the rules of racing. Penalties include fines and disqualification from the sport.